Teacher of the Aura
by Hunter Stag
Summary: A young boy with a very strong Aura signature NO, IT'S NOT ASH! meets up with a Lucario. Being taught the ways of Aura, they both discover a threat to all of Sinnoh. And the world. Rated T for violence.
1. Aura

A teenage boy walked through a verdant forest, carrying nothing but a backpack and one Poké Ball on his belt. He was about sixteen and had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He stopped and sighed at the town he was nearing. He would stop at the store there, pick up more supplies, and move on. Just like always. He stopped at a cliff as he came to it. The moon was rising. Hunter sighed again and began setting up a small camp. It was nothing special. A sleeping bag and a lantern were all that he needed. But not right now. Hunter took out a sketchpad and started to draw the rising moon, with the town below it. A Pidgeotto, with a loud cry, took to the air, flying across the moon. Hunter jotted the image down while it was still fresh in his mind. Other sketches filled the pages before the current one. They were all of either Pokemon or nature scenes. He had ambitions of becoming an artist when he grew up. His parents had said that he had a promising career as an artist. After they had been killed in a car accident, he had set out. The only Pokemon that was protecting him currently was the family's pet Buizel. It was in fighting shape, but was growing old, as his mother had used it during her closing days as a trainer. Hunter looked at a prior sketch. The Buizel in the picture brought back the memory of it posing for a picture. Not really posing, since the Water Gun it had launched for the picture was moving, but the Buizel was not just good for posing for pictures. Despite its age, it could still fight, and it had saved Hunter from both thieves and thugs on more than one occasion during his two years on the road. Hunter opened the Poké Ball and the Buizel came out in a bright flash of light. With a puzzled "_Bui_?" it looked at Hunter.

Hunter smiled at it. "Nothing's wrong Buizel. Just thought you ought to get out tonight."

The Buizel smiled and nodded. Hunter lay back against the small rock he was leaning against, and closed his eyes for a moment.

And got the shock of his life.

Suddenly, he could still see. The landscape was distorted in a flaring blue and white light, and the aura surrounded Buizel as well, enveloping its body. Hunter snapped his eyes open. They opened so suddenly that Buizel ran to him, its tone wondering if he was alright.

Hunter nodded and stroked the Buizel's head to calm it. "I'm fine, Buizel. It was nothing."

Inside a cave that was situated near a mountain spring, a Lucario opened its eyes. He ran outside, his ears twitching. He closed his eyes and the sensory bundles on the back of his head, which most people mistook for dreadlocks, flared outwards. His gaze traveled over the land until it came to a small cliff, where it could sense two creatures. One was a Pokémon, a Buizel to be exact, while another was a human. Young, with the strongest Aura Lucario had ever seen. _I need to find this boy_, he thought to himself. He began jumping up the rock walls that surrounded the spring, then, once at the top, began to make his way towards the cliff.

Hunter finished drawing the moon and the town beneath it. He slid the pencil inside the wire that bound the notebook together, then slipped the notebook into his backpack and climbed into his sleeping bag. He felt Buizel crawl into his sleeping bag and lie down next to him, its warm fur adding more heat to the sleeping bag. Both were asleep only seconds later.

Lucario came onto the ridge, approaching the lantern and gazing at it for a moment. He then knelt by it, picked it up, and blew it out. He looked over at the two sleeping forms to see if they had stirred. They hadn't. He silently walked over to them, ending up on the boy's side. He knelt, about to pull the cover back, when he heard someone speak.

"Now, Buizel!"

A stream of water slammed into Lucario's face, taking him by surprise and sending him back, spluttering. He looked up through drops of water streaming down his face and bared his teeth at the human's Buizel. The human was standing next to it, holding a large stick. _Hold on. I'm not here to hurt you._

The human looked somewhat shocked at Lucario's presence inside his mind, but then recovered. "I don't believe you! Buizel, Aqua Jet!"

With a loud _Bui!_ the Buizel conjured a pillar of water around itself, then shot forward towards Lucario. Lucario called upon his Bone Rush attack and met Buizel head on. He could see the Buizel's face shatter into pain and effort as it tried to hold off Lucario's power. Lucario swung one side of the bone staff into the side of Buizel's head, sending the water Pokémon crashing to the ground.

The human's voice came again. "Don't give up, Buizel! Use Swift!"

A stream of stars shot from the Buizel's tails as it swished it from side to side. Lucario managed to dodge a few, but they were so many, so fast…he couldn't avoid being hit. He dropped to the ground after the attack and called upon Metal Claw. His knuckle spikes elongated into long claws, and he faced the Buizel in a combat stance. The human saw it and called out to the Buizel. "Fury Swipes!"

The Buizel charged forward, its own claws glowing now. Lucario met it head on and they fought each other around the cliff, Buizel charging forward and locking claws with Lucario and sometimes being thrown to the ground with small cries of _Bui!_

Eventually, the struggle began to slacken. Buizel, not being able to keep up with Lucario's powerful attacks, gave one last effort and lunged at Lucario, its claws extended. One claw managed to scratch Lucario's cheek. The second didn't get a chance as Lucario-with claws still extended-hit Buizel with an uppercut on the chin, sending the Pokémon flying into the air and onto its back on the ground, unconscious. The human ran to the Buizel, cradling its head in its arms before recalling it in a flash of red light into a small, red and white orb that he then shrank and placed on his belt. He faced Lucario, his stick ready. Lucario sighed and rolled his red eyes. He then ran at the human full out, jumping high into the air when the human tried to hit him with the stick. As he fell, he landed on top of the human, pinning its arms to the ground and thrusting his muzzle into the boy's face. _Listen, human! I told you that I didn't come here to hurt you!_

"Care to tell that to my Buizel?" the human asked in an obnoxious voice.

_You ordered your Buizel to attack me first. Speaking of which, how did you know I was coming?_

"Buizel was able to sense you long before you got here."

Lucario got up and took a hold of the human's stick, tossing it over the ledge. _What's your name, human?_

"Hunter. What Pokémon are you?"

_My name is Lucario. Introductions aside, have you ever heard of a thing called Aura?_

"No. What is it?"

_It's the energy that's inside every living thing. In ancient times there were people who could see Aura._

"What does this have to do with me?"

_Your Aura is the strongest I've ever seen. I have knowledge of the Aura myself, so I can teach you what I know._

"Thanks but no thanks. I'm happy being normal." He turned and began to pack up his things, dumping rocks out of his sleeping bag. Lucario noted that those were what he had at first mistaken for the boy and his Buizel. He hadn't used his second sight. That was sloppy.

He walked over to Hunter and stood in front of him, blocking the way to his lantern. _You don't understand. This could change your life if you let me teach you._

"My life is messed up enough right now, thanks!"

Lucario resisted the urge to roll his eyes again in front of the human.

_I can see that I'm not going to change your mind easily._

"Try _never_, buddy."

Lucario's paw clenched as he repressed an urge to Force Palm this wisecracking human.

_If you ever change your mind…_

"Which I won't."

Lucario pointed at the mountain he had come from. _I'll be in a glade on top of that mountain._

"Good. Another reason for me _not _to come to you."

_You'll have a home that you can actually settle down in, instead of wandering around._

"I like wandering around."

_Like I said, human, if you want to…I'll be waiting_.

Lucario ran towards the edge of the cliff and jumped off of it, hitting the ground running back to his home. He smiled slightly as he ran. The boy would come around. And then it would get interesting.

**So, there you have it. This has been on my computer for a while now, and I was waiting until I'd finished the series (there's gonna be a lot, most of which will involve Hunter (I'm not vain, I just find it easier to write if I'm familiar with the main character) travelling and meeting more legendary Pokemon. (I also don't care if anyone says that Lucario isn't Legendary. Shaymin's probably legendary and there's more than one.) Anyway, more to come soon! R and R, please!**


	2. Acceptance

The next morning, Hunter and Buizel walked through the streets of the town. Buizel was enjoying its time out of the Poké Ball, and walked on two legs beside its Trainer. Hunter was looking around trying to find a store. He nodded when he finally found one, then ordered Buizel to keep watch. After that, he went inside.

Lucario stood in an alley across the street from the store, absolutely still. Nobody noticed him. He could sense the human in the building, though he had quickly disappeared amongst the multitude of shelves. The Buizel was still there, looking around for anything that it might see as a threat to its trainer. Lucario closed his eyes. The boy's Aura was flaring, much like last night. It had grown slightly, however. _He's growing stronger by the day_, Lucario thought to himself. He sensed the boy coming out, opened his eyes, and retreated into the alley slightly, his eyes never leaving the trainer. As the boy and his Buizel left the store, heading east, Lucario noted their direction and jumped first onto a dumpster, then onto a balcony, and finally, a roof, following the human and Buizel as they walked through the streets. The boy was stuffing his purchases into his backpack.

When they reached the outskirts of the city, where houses were few and far between and pedestrian and vehicle traffic was virtually nonexistent, Lucario watched them from a tree, his red eyes never leaving the human. When they passed beneath his tree, Lucario jumped from it, landing right in front of the boy.

Hunter gave a start of surprise when Lucario dropped out of nowhere. Buizel gave a startled cry as well. After the shock wore off, Hunter glared at Lucario. "What do you want now?"

_I was wondering if you'd considered my offer._

He nodded. "Yeah, I've considered it."

Lucario smiled. _Good. Your answer?_

"Still no. I like being just looked on as an average traveler."

_The only thing that's not average about you is your Aura, and I'm the only one who can see that. You could still wander around the area. I wouldn't stop you. _

"But you'd be watching me to see if I escaped."

_You'd grow into it. Please. A week, see how you like it._

Hunter was silent for a long time. Buizel looked up at him, waiting. Lucario crossed his arms, his gaze still fixed on Hunter's face, which was turned towards the ground.

Finally, the human looked at him. "You've gotten me interested. A week, and if I don't like it, I leave, and you don't talk to me again."

Lucario nodded and gave a satisfied smirk. _Deal_.

They shook, and a short while afterward, were on their way to the mountain.

Lucario jumped from rock to rock, looking back at Hunter. _Can't you climb any faster? The moon will be rising by the time we get there._

Hunter glared at him and shouted. "If you'd help me, we'd get there faster!"

Lucario rolled his eyes and reached a paw down to help Hunter up.

The human climbed onto the ridge. He looked up at the ridge another fifty feet from where they were. "Why do you have to live all the way up there?"

_I like to be secluded. There's a cave up there that leads to my home. Relax. _

"How can I relax? We're halfway up a mountain and I hitched a ride up here in a cable car!"

_It only took you half an hour to climb this far._

"That's because I have climbing gear!"

_Then there's nothing to worry about._

Hunter sighed and tossed a grappling hook up onto the cliff. He tested it, and then began to climb the rock wall. Lucario jumped on boulders that protruded from the wall, and was at the entrance to the cave a few minutes before Hunter was.

Hunter rolled up his climbing gear and waited for Lucario to enter. He did, and Hunter followed him.

He looked around as he walked. "Why are there so many crystals here?"

_They can project Aura. If you decide to stay, if you need me or need to tell me something, you merely need to touch one and speak as you normally would. I will be able to communicate with you from another crystal._

Finally, the two came to the spring that Lucario lived in. Trees grew around a small pond that had various fish Pokémon swimming around it, such as Magikarp and Remoraid. There was a large, altar-like piece of white stone that stood a few feet away from the lake. It was wide enough for both Hunter and Lucario to sit on it with their legs crossed, and long enough for either of them to lie down on it.

Hunter looked around, impressed. "This is a very nice place, Lucario."

_Thank you. It took me a while to find a place isolated enough. It's completely isolated except for the odd mountain climber, and even they don't come in this far. _

They stopped in front of a small cave. Inside there was a pallet of leaves, which Hunter gathered was Lucario's bed. The floor was bare of rocks, and Hunter rolled out his sleeping bag and set the lantern up. Lucario watched him, sitting, with his arms around his knees, on his bed. When Hunter was done, Lucario looked out at the sun that was disappearing out of sight. Then, Lucario walked outside and sat down, cross legged, on the slab of stone. He closed his eyes, but his bundles didn't fan out. Hunter took out his sketch pad and began to draw. Lucario, sitting stock still, made the perfect picture model. Hunter took out Buizel's Poké Ball and released Buizel from it. He then looked around, and shrugged. _Nothing else to do. Guess I'll eat._

He took out a small can of Pokémon food and then an assortment of human food. As he and Buizel ate, Lucario opened one eye, watching them. Hunter, his paranoia informing him, turned to Lucario. "Would you like some?"

Lucario grunted, then closed his eye. After a short time he opened both eyes and then got off of the rock, went over to a berry bush, picked most of the berries, and returned to the rock to begin eating. Hunter watched him for a moment, then continued eating.

Later that night, as Lucario laid on his bed sleeping, and Buizel laid beside him, Hunter was still awake and sketching yet another picture of Lucario. _He's really photogenic_, he thought with a chuckle. After he finished the sketch, he put the notebook away and snuffed the lantern, going to sleep in his bag.

Lucario's eyes snapped open the second he heard Hunter's breath deepen and slow. He quietly walked over to Hunter's backpack and, after a bit of sifting around, took out the notepad, noting the two sketches of him. He smiled. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all._

**Don't worry, the training's going to get more interesting and the plot will start to develop in the next chapter. So, once again, more to come! R and R! (Note: As I post more and more I'm going to include a warning. Not right now, though.)**


	3. Training

Hunter awoke to find Lucario shaking him. _Wake up, Hunter. It's time to start._

Hunter groaned something about five more minutes, but got up and put his shoes on. He and Lucario walked outside. Buizel, awakened when Lucario woke Hunter, watched them from the cave.

They stood in the glade, watching each other. Lucario produced a blindfold. _Tie this around your eyes._

Hunter did so. After he was done, Lucario took a fighting stance.

_I'm going to strike at you. Do your best to dodge me._

"We're going to have to do this for a long time then…"

Lucario began making short punches at Hunter. Most of the time he moved the wrong way and gave a small "ow" as the punches connected. He also managed to dodge a small number, then, soon after, gained confidence and dodged more. Lucario could feel his Aura working, attempting to see his fists coming. After a few minutes, they stopped. Lucario watched Hunter as he worked off his blindfold. _We'll keep doing this until you're able to dodge all of the attacks. Then we can stop._

Hunter nodded, then looked around. "Okay, what's next?"

Lucario once again produced the blindfold. _Now we'll work on you finding me using only Aura. When you're trained enough you will be able to see beyond your range of sight. But for now, concentrate on finding me._

Hunter groaned and put the blindfold back on. They spent the remainder of the day working on those two exercises, and though Hunter proved more adept at providing Lucario's location than dodging his punches, he improved in the latter as well. As they both ate dinner around a fire that Hunter had made, Lucario looked at him over the flames. _You're improving fast._

Hunter merely nodded, the circles under his eyes testifying to how tired he was.

Lucario put a berry in his mouth as he looked at Hunter again. As he chewed, he cast out another thought. _I know what you're thinking. When am I going to teach you how to fight? How to use your powers for offense._

Hunter merely nodded once again. Finished with his meal, he got up and went to the cave. Lucario cast one last thought before the human got in his sleeping bag and went to sleep. _I'll show you to do that. When you're ready._

Lucario went out to the cliff that the cave was situated on. He sighed. _This boy will test me. And he will either obey me or break me without meaning to. But fate will do as it decides._

Inside the cave, Hunter slept. He had dreams. Two great beings, a flash of light, a long shout of pain that he recognized as Lucario's voice, and then, something that made him jolt awake and cry out.

Lucario's body, burned and scarred, lying on his side on the ground. His dreadlocks and tail were limp, lolling onto the ground. One ear flopped over his face.

Lucario ran into the cave, his eyes wide with shock. _What is it? What happened?_

Hunter shook his head. "I had a dream. It was horrible. You were in pain. Terrible pain. Then…I…I saw your body. You were dead. I don't know what caused it, but I also saw two Pokémon. Or at least…I think they were Pokémon. They were massive, one pink and one blue. I couldn't make any sense of it."

_It's probably nothing_, Lucario thought, laying a paw on Hunter's shoulder. _Go back to sleep. Nobody's going to find us here._

Hunter shrugged, and went back to sleep. After watching Lucario for a moment, Buizel followed suit. Lucario sat down on his bed, his chin on his knees. _Telling the future? If it is the future. If he turns out to be right, then something is coming. Something bad._

**Sorry for the shortness of this one. There's a major plot development right there. By the way, there's not gonna be very much sketching from now on. If you want to see what Lucario's body looked like, go to Youtube and type "Mew and the Wave Guiding Hero Lucario PV 2" in the search bar and click on the first video. The clip's at 1:09. See ya! I'll update soon! R and R!**

**. More to come soon! R and R!**


	4. Comrades

A few days later, Hunter woke before Lucario. He got out of his sleeping bag carefully, not waking Buizel. _Lucario can probably see me,_ he thought.

He looked outside. It was still dark. The sun didn't come into the mountain this early. He closed his eyes, practicing locating things in the glade by Aura alone. He then opened his eyes and walked out of the cave. The place was dark, though when he looked up he could see a pink lining to the sky. _The sun's coming up. It'll be light soon_. He sighed and heard something coming up behind him.

He turned and saw Lucario standing there. _You're up early. I didn't have to wake you._

"I'm still thinking about that dream I had."

_I told you, it was probably nothing. But you can do something for me._

"What's that?"

_Go into town and see if you can find a book store. There has to be a book somewhere about ancient Pok__émon._

Hunter nodded. "I'll do that."

_Do you remember the jumping lessons I gave you?_

Hunter remembered. A few days ago, he had learned that by concentrating Aura around his feet, he could be every bit as agile as Lucario.

He walked out of the cave and went to the cliff edge. He closed his eyes and began to jump down the slope to the cable car station. He was much more comfortable on it than on the mountain slope. Here, if he slipped and fell, people would only stare for a bit. _If I slipped and fell on the mountain, there wouldn't be enough of me to fill a frying pan._

On the ride down, people stared somewhat. Hunter didn't blame them. His hair, unkempt from the days he had spent training with Lucario, hung into his eyes. His clothes were somewhat dirty as well. He had a lean look from the constant training that he underwent each day. At the cable car station at the base of the mountain, Hunter ran out of the building and down the street. He skidded to a stop outside a bookstore, and went in.

The place was filled with shelves. He asked an attendant for help, and she led him to a whole selection of books covering ancient Pokémon. He picked one at random titled _Legendary and Mythical Pok__émon in the Sinnoh Region._

He returned to Lucario's glade, and his teacher, who had been meditating on the rock, swung his legs over the side for Hunter to sit beside him. _What does it say?_

"Apparently, the two Pokémon that I saw were Dialga and Palkia, two deities that were the masters of space and time. Their power apparently can open holes into other dimensions. Which means they could come into this one and cause a lot of trouble."

_Relax,_ Lucario said, placing a paw on his shoulder. _I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon._

Hunter nodded. Lucario stood up. _Come on. I know a place that'll make you feel better._

They both walked into a small cave in the cliff face that Hunter had noticed but had never been into. They eventually came out of another small cave to reveal a hot spring.

Hunter looked at Lucario. "Do you ever use it?"

Lucario shook his head._ No._ _I don't care much for hot springs._

Hunter went behind a rock. He soon came out wearing nothing but his shorts. Buizel, who had tagged along, was already in the water, the float sac around its neck fully inflated to keep it afloat. Hunter jumped in, reveling in the soothing heat of the water.

Lucario sat down and started meditating. An hour passed like this, until Lucario heard a panicked cry from Buizel and opened his eyes. His dreadlocks had not fanned out, as there was nothing to look for. He flared them outwards now, and saw Hunter, his body curled up, floating under the water. He opened his eyes. _Hunter. Wake up. _

Hunter didn't move.

Lucario shouted his next thought. _Hunter! Wake up now!_

Still no response. Lucario knelt close to the water trying to peer into the depths.

Suddenly, Hunter popped up, grabbed Lucario by his long, pointy ears, and pulled him into the water.

Lucario had been dunked completely under before he finally surfaced, glaring at Hunter. _What are you doing?_

"See? Doesn't this feel nice?"

_I thought you were drowning! Don't ever do that again!_

Hunter floated onto his back and started kicking around the pool. "Relax, Lucario. Buizel could have gotten me out."

Lucario clambered out of the hot spring and shook himself. He saw the sun glimmer off of something. He walked over and picked it up. It was a large cobweb.

The last time he had checked, there had been no cobwebs near the glade.

_Hunter!_

Hunter looked up and saw Lucario waving to him. He got out of the spring and walked over to Lucario. He looked at the webbing. "What's it from?"

_Judging by the size, I think it's an Ariados._

Hunter's eyes widened. "What are we going to do?"

_We'll go back to the glade. You'll get redressed, and you'll stay there while I hunt it down._

"You need me, though!"

_Not right now. I'm capable of handling myself._

Hunter glared at Lucario, but gathered up his clothes and started drying off with a towel that had been in his backpack.

As the two entered the glade, Lucario looked at Hunter out of the corner of his eye. _Don't come after me unless I call you._

Hunter hesitated, then nodded. As Lucario left, he sat down on the slab of rock.

Hours passed. Hunter was napping when he heard a large explosion.

A second later, Lucario's voice, with effort, rang in his head. It was interspersed with grunting and screeching. _Hunter, I need you! Get down here!_

Hunter, along with Buizel, ran down the tunnel where the explosion came from, grabbing a large rock as he passed so. He turned right down a tunnel and came into a large, circular chamber. Lucario was on his back on the ground, trying to hold the Ariados's fangs away from his neck. As Hunter watched, the Ariados sprayed a Poison Sting into Lucario's face at point blank. Hunter threw the rock as Lucario went limp.

The Ariados looked towards him, then jumped at him. _Bad idea_, Hunter thought as he raised his arms. Buizel fired a Water Gun that hit the Ariados in the side, throwing it across the cavern to slam into the wall.

Hunter ran over to Lucario, yelling back to Buizel. "Use your instincts, Buizel! You're on your own for now!"

Buizel fired a Sonic Boom from its tail, and it hit the Ariados, forcing back against the wall. It launched another Poison Sting, which Buizel nimbly dodged.

Hunter knelt by Lucario and cradled his head in his hands. "Lucario. Wake up."

Lucario groaned and looked at him. _You came_.

"You're my friend, Lucario. I'm not going to let you die here."

He sifted around inside his backpack as Lucario grunted in pain and arched his back.

_He's been poisoned,_ Hunter thought as he took a spray bottle out of his backpack, spraying Lucario full in the face with it. Lucario coughed and hacked, but managed to stand up.

The Ariados fired a Dark Pulse from its mouth. The attack hit Buizel, sending it flying across the cavern. It hit the floor, rolling several times before stopping. Hunter looked after Buizel as Lucario faced the Ariados down. Lucario threw an Aura Sphere, which the Ariados dodged by jumping onto the wall. It fired a second Dark Pulse, which Lucario jumped to dodge. He landed as the Ariados lunged at him. Lucario called on Metal Claw and attacked as well. They passed one another, Lucario slashing with the claws. The Ariados twisted, dodging the attack. It turned around in midair, about to lunge at Lucario's back, when a rock hit it on the back of the head. It turned, and fired a Poison Sting at Hunter. He ducked, and the needles flew over his head. He looked up to see the Ariados lunging at him. He twirled, and the Ariados's fangs tore at his clothing. He also felt a slight tug, but turned and hurled another rock that caught the Ariados in the mouth.

The Spider Pokémon was knocked onto its back, helpless as Lucario fired successive Aura Spheres at it, obscuring it in a cloud of smoke. As it cleared, the Ariados was thrashing around like a fish. Hunter found a sharp shard of rock about as long as his forearm, and stabbed it into the Ariados's body. As Hunter stepped back, he placed an arm over his stomach. Lucario noticed nothing until Hunter fell against the cave wall. Lucario looked at him, concern written on his face. Hunter tried to smile, and his arm fell from his stomach. Lucario gasped as he spotted blood flowing from a gash in Hunter's stomach. He ran to the human and knelt by his side, looking at him. _Why didn't you say anything?_

"You would have been distracted."

_We have to get you to a hospital_.

Hunter now ground out each word with effort. "In…glade… First…aid kit… Get it…fast."

Lucario shot out of the cave. Buizel padded over to Hunter and gently washed the blood from the gash with a Water Gun.

Lucario was back a short time later, holding a small pouch. He ran over to Hunter, opening the pouch, then stopped. He looked up at Hunter, his eyes wide. _I can't read! What do I do?_

"I'll…walk…through it."

He then communicated by thought, being too tired to talk. _Get the bottle with the blue cap and spread some of it around the cut._

Lucario sifted around for the right bottle and spread the paste inside it gently around the gash.

_Bandages. Wrap them around me._

Lucario sat him up and tied the bandages in place, aided by Buizel. Hunter laid back and smiled. _That feels better._

Lucario helped him up and they began to walk back to the glade, Hunter leaning on Lucario. _I know about some berries that'll help the wound more._

Hunter could only nod. _How did the Ariados get you on the ground?_

_It was waiting on the ceiling. By the time I went into the cavern, it was already on me._

_You forgot to use your Aura again._

Lucario gave a nod. _And I promised I wouldn't make the same mistake again._

Eventually, they made their way back to the glade. Lucario laid Hunter down on the bed of leaves that was normally his. _Try to sleep. I'll be back._

Hunter didn't need to be told twice. Buizel stood by his side, looking at him with worried eyes. It let out a worried _Bui_ as Hunter fell asleep, his breathing still shallow and pained.

Lucario stayed by Hunter's side for the next two days as the Human recovered. Lucario did not sleep during this time. Hunter never woke up.

As the sun rose on the third day, Hunter woke slowly, and looked at Lucario. "You should have slept. Buizel would have warned you if something had happened."

_You're my friend. I took care of you, like I should have._

Hunter smiled.

A day later, Hunter's wound was healed. Lucario did not waste any time. They were back to training as soon as he saw Hunter was better.

_Now, if you're as powerful as I think you are, this technique should be no problem for you. I'm going to teach you how to use an Aura Sphere. _

Hunter smiled. "I think you've taught me enough for me to know how to do this."

_It's not as easy as you think it is. Controlling the shape, being able to force the sphere from your hands, it all takes more concentration than you think you have. _

"I'll take your word for it."

Lucario stepped beside him. _Just do what I do._

He formed his paws so that his wrists were touching one another, his paws held in a sideways V with the open end outward. _First, put your hands like this._

Hunter mimicked Lucario's stance.

Lucario then brought his paws back so that his paws were beside his waist.

Hunter followed Lucario. _Now, focus on concentrating your Aura between your hands._

Hunter concentrated, willing his Aura to flow from his body to the small space in between his hands.

It came out in a fluctuating blob. Lucario looked at it with minor annoyance.

_Focus. Force it to turn into a ball._

Hunter concentrated, the blob of Aura spinning madly while simultaneously undulating between his hands.

Finally, it quit spinning and settled into a smooth orb.

Lucario smiled. _Good. Now, do you see that boulder?_

Hunter looked at a large rock sticking out of the ground. "Yeah."

_Focus on it, and tell the Aura to go there._

Hunter envisioned the Aura speeding from his hands with enough power to blow the rock to pieces.

He forced his hands forward and felt a rush of air as the Aura Sphere sped from his hands and impacted against the rock, exploding and sending smoke back at the two.

Lucario grinned. _Good! Very good. Now, do it again._

Hunter repeated it with less effort.

_Good. You can do it. We'll do something more tomorrow._

**Close call there, huh? Anyways, I was hoping to get more reviews before posting this chapter, but I guess not, now. Anyways, R and R!**


	5. Relaxing

Hunter had the dream again. Only this time it was longer and when he went back to sleep, it continued.

Lucario and he were facing Dialga and Palkia. Bright flashes of light erupted from both of the deities, and Lucario and Hunter dodged them, counterattacking wildly but not doing any serious damage.

Dialga roared and dozens of yellow balls of light flew from the crest on its head, zooming towards Hunter. He managed to dodge most of them, but one came straight towards him. Lucario's Aura Sphere stopped it. As Hunter turned back to Dialga, he saw a bright blue beam coming right at him. All of a sudden, a shape ran out in front of him. _Lucario_.

_"Nooooo!_"

A bright yellow flash signaled the ending of the dream.

Hunter managed to keep from screaming as he woke up this time. He was drenched in sweat, and as he ran a hand across his mouth, he looked at Lucario. The Pokémon was facing him, his eyes open.

He didn't say anything, merely rolling over.

Hunter wiped a hand across his face again, and went back into a fitful, restless sleep.

The next morning, Lucario was showing him how to use his Aura to allow him to move objects. They were moving small objects, such as twigs, and small rocks.

_No!_ Lucario snapped as the twig they were practicing with dropped to the ground for the fifth time. _Concentrate! You need to keep your mind focused on the object if you want to move it!_

Hunter didn't even try to speak. _You probably haven't dwelled on my dreams like I have! I'm sure that you were able to learn everything about your Aura from your parents before you went off on your own! I still don't fully understand this and I didn't even want it!_

Lucario narrowed his eyes. _I've thought about your dreams, and if you think you know enough right now, would you care to fight me?_

Hunter sighed. _No. I'll try to concentrate this time._

They made little progress throughout the day, though Hunter managed to lift the twig as the sun was setting. Lucario sighed and shook his head. _Maybe we need something to take your mind off of your dreams. I've been all over this valley and I know a spot where we can relax for a day. No training, no scolding, nothing to do with learning whatsoever. We'll go tomorrow._

Hunter nodded. "Sounds nice."

Lucario nodded and gave a small smile. _It is. You'll see. _

Hunter went into bed that night, and, despite hearing a small cracking noise in his mind, dreamed of nothing all night.

The next morning, Lucario and Hunter, with Buizel in tow, jumped down the mountain. Buizel, on Hunter's shoulder, was jolted violently around until Hunter returned it to its Poké Ball.

Lucario jumped on top of the cable car going down the mountain, and Hunter got inside. He was very conscious of all of the stares he was getting. _I really need a bath soon._

As the cable car came to a stop, Lucario jumped off of the roof and waited in the woods for Hunter.

They both ran east, where the sun was rising. Eventually, they came to a very isolated waterfall. Difficult to access for any human without either a flying Pokémon or climbing gear, but merely a small workout for Hunter and Lucario. Hunter immediately lay down with his back against a tree to begin sketching the spot. The pencil felt strange between his fingers, due to him not being able to sketch anything for a long time. When he had finished sketching the waterfall, he began lifting a small stone off the ground. It stayed solidly in the air this time, and moved easily when he willed it to.

Lucario, meditating under the waterfall, opened one eye to watch Hunter. Eventually, the human lifted a large branch, throwing it against a boulder. The branch shattered.

Emboldened, Hunter walked across the clearing to a large rock that came up to his knees, and, with a small amount of effort, lifted it. He made it move a few inches, then concentrated more. The rock, which had been shaking in the air, suddenly stabilized. Hunter started spinning, and the rock followed him until he made it fly into the water, sending up a large wave. Lucario chuckled, then closed his eye again.

Hunter jumped into the water, swimming around with Buizel.

Underwater, he got an idea. Swimming around the rocks that Lucario was sitting on, he surfaced, then pushed his teacher into the water.

Lucario surfaced, spluttering. He looked at Hunter, his long ears drooping from the amount of water soaked into his fur. Hunter was laughing.

Lucario gave a small smile. For most of the day, he and Hunter both swam in the water and practiced their skills.

At lunch on the same day, Hunter looked at Lucario's customary pile of berries. "Don't you ever get tired of eating berries?"

_Sometimes. Then I try something else. Like_… he looked around, spotting an apple tree. Using his Aura, he plucked an apple from the branch. _Apples. Whenever I tire of eating berries, I switch to fruit until I get sick of it._

Come to think of it, Hunter recalled Lucario switching from fruit to berries and back again sometimes. He brightened. "I think I have something you might like."

He pulled a bar of chocolate out of his backpack and tore the paper off of it, breaking a piece off.

Lucario cocked his head._ What is that_?

"It's chocolate. Trust me, it's good."

He handed a piece to Lucario. "Go on, eat it. It won't poison you."

Lucario took a small bite off of the chocolate, giving a small, surprised grunt at the unfamiliar flavor.

Hunter looked at him expectantly as he chewed on his own piece. "Well?" he said with a full mouth.

Lucario took a big bite out of the piece. Hunter laughed, falling on his back as Lucario stuffed the remainder of his piece in his mouth.

That day, they were returning to the glade. Lucario led the way, Hunter right behind him. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

_We'll practice how fast you are. There's a canyon around here where Rock Pok__émon like to toss rocks into a canyon. That's where we're going tomorrow._

"Charming. Any other perks I should know about?"

_There are hot water veins running through the ground. They could erupt at any time. That'll test how fast you are as well._

_Great_, Hunter thought. _One day of rest now we're back to death-defying stunts._


	6. Home

The next day, Hunter and Lucario were standing at the entrance to the canyon. Lucario looked at Hunter. _Are you ready?_

Hunter nodded. The ground was already shaking.

_They've started_, Lucario said. _When I say go, try to go through without opening your eyes._

"And if I don't manage to dodge them all?"

_Someone will have to save you. I'll do it, like always._

"Are you sure about this?"

_Trust me. I'll be right beside you._

Hunter shrugged and closed his eyes, sensing the Aura emanating from the landscape. He got ready to run.

_Ready,_ Lucario started, _set, go!_

They both took off together, weaving through the canyon, dodging boulders thrown by Rock Pokémon high above them.

Lucario eventually started to pull ahead, nimbly moving left, right, left, out of the path of falling rocks.

Hunter, who was by now very good at judging locations by Aura, mimicked his teacher's movements. He narrowly avoided some rocks, but managed to get out of the rocks without becoming a splatter.

_We're getting to the water now, _Lucario said in his head. _Get ready._

_I'm ready_, Hunter thought back.

The ground began shaking. It tore up in huge chunks as Hunter moved around the isolated geysers of water. Once a piece of ground he was running over shattered and he had to vault away from it to keep from being fried, but he made it through to join Lucario on the other side of the canyon.

Lucario was smiling. _Good job._

"Thanks."

_Let's go back to the glade now. I'll teach you some more there._

They ran back to the mountain, this time along ledges of the canyon.

Hunter stood in front of Lucario back in the glade, watching him.

_Try concentrating your Aura in front of your body._

Hunter closed his eyes, willing his Aura to form into a semisolid mass in front of him.

Lucario readied an Aura Sphere and fired it at Hunter.

Hunter attempted to keep concentrated.

The Aura Sphere hit the barrier, breaking it and sending Hunter back a few steps.

_You didn't concentrate enough in the end. When you get used to me attacking you, you will be able to keep the shield up._

Hunter opened his eyes and nodded.

They continued until sundown like always.

Around the fire that night, Hunter looked at Lucario. "How long have you been on your own?"

_A very long time, it seems. A few years at least._

"Where are your parents?"

_Possibly dead, by now. I left while they were still alive. They taught me everything I know._

Lucario looked up at Hunter. _When I first met you, you said that your life was messed up enough without me in it. What made you say that?"_

Hunter sobered immediately. "Three years ago, I was at home alone. The only other living thing in the house besides me was Buizel."

Upon hearing its name and recognizing the story, Buizel came to Hunter and curled up in his lap. He scratched its back absently as he continued.

"About a half hour before my parents were supposed to come home from an outing, it got agitated and managed to scratch me a lot by trying to get out the door. About two hours after my parents were supposed to have been home, I got a call from the hospital in Veilstone City. Both of my parents had died in a collision with a semi truck. Just like that."

Lucario placed a paw on Hunter's shoulder. _I'm sorry. Do you remember them?_

"Three years on the road can make you forget a lot of things. Maybe when we're done with my training, if it's not gone by now, I can take you to my house."

_I hope you can._ Lucario suddenly brightened. _Maybe we can go now._

Hunter closed his eyes. "There _is_ a train station that goes to the suburbs of Veilstone. That's where my home is. Let's go tomorrow. But you'll either have to stay on the roof or be in a Poké Ball."

_I'll be on the roof. I can hold on._

"Good. It's settled then. Tomorrow, we go to Veilstone.

The next day, Hunter approached the ticket office for the train station. "One ticket to Veilstone City, please."

The cashier looked at his messy hair and clothing, but otherwise handed the ticket over.

Hunter walked onto the train when it arrived. He could see Lucario watching him from the roof.

As he sat down in a cabin, he released Buizel and laid back to talk with Lucario. _It'll be a few hours before we get to Veilstone. Ten, at the most._

_I can wait. I enjoy the wind on my face anyway._

_You're going to be feeling it for a long time then. _

_I won't mind._

_I have another idea. Once we're underway, you can open the window and get in here._

There was a moment of silence. _If you insist._

Within fifteen minutes the train was speeding across the countryside. Hunter looked up when he heard knocking and noticed Lucario hanging upside down outside the window. He pulled it inwards and Lucario flipped in. Hunter quickly shut the window.

Lucario looked out the window at the setting sun. _We probably won't be at Veilstone until tomorrow. We should both get some sleep._

Hunter nodded. "You're right."

Both reclined on the seats opposite one another, and quickly fell asleep.

**Yep, Hunter's goin' home. Climax is coming up, people! R and R, please! Autumnchronicles, thanks for all your reviewing.**


	7. Veilstone

When Hunter woke the next morning, he could see the sun rising. Lucario was still asleep, as was Buizel. He turned onto his back and looked through the cabin door. Nobody was coming by. That meant Lucario was safe from discovery. _But still, he can't get off the train with me. I only got on with one Pok__é Ball. _

When they were about fifteen minutes from the Veilstone station, he shook Lucario, waking him. "You should get outside again. I'll meet you in the woods outside the station."

_Alright. _Lucario got up on the window ledge, opened the window, and flipped out onto the roof.

The train slowly pulled into the station, finally stopping.

Hunter saw a shadow flitting across the ground, and got off the train.

In the woods, Hunter met up with Lucario and they started walking. "My house isn't too far from here. It's on top of a hill, so we should be able to see it quick."

_Why are we walking?_ Lucario asked. He started running, Hunter following fast.

Eventually they came to the foot of a hill. Hunter smiled. "Good. It's still here."

He checked the garage for any signs of oil stains, anything to suggest recent habitation. "And it doesn't look like anyone's living here."

Lucario nodded. _Good. That would be a nasty surprise if anyone was._

Hunter chuckled. "Right."

He opened the front door, looking around the empty interior.

The front door opened into a spacious living room. Two chairs and a sofa were in an arc around the television. Beside the TV, there was a door that led to the kitchen. Beside that door there was a staircase, where there were two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Hunter started climbing the stairs. "We can argue over rooms later. Right now, _I'm _going to go and take a shower."

_You do that,_ Lucario said, walking around and looking at various items in the house.

Hunter stood in the shower, allowing the water to rinse weeks of dirt and grime from his body. _I need to cut my hair, too, _he thought to himself.

He stayed in the shower for about two hours, even when the water got cold. When he finally exited, with a towel wrapped around his waist, he went into his room to change into a fresh set of clothes.

When he came down the stairs, he saw Lucario lying on the couch, one knee in the air and the other leg draped across it, swinging one foot. He raised his head as Hunter came down the stairs. _You were in there a long time._

"You'd be in there a while too if you hadn't bathed in days."

Lucario smiled. _That's why I'm not human._

He barked in surprise as Hunter lifted him up using Aura, carrying him up the stairs towards the bathroom. "Come on, now it's your turn."

_But I don't take baths!_ Lucario protested.

"Deal with it. It's not that bad."

_Let me go!_

Buizel was rolling on the floor, laughing.

Lucario stood in the bathroom as Hunter talked him over how to use the shower. "Left is hot, right is cold. Adjust it until you're comfy."

He started to walk out, then turned. "Oh, that reminds me… Don't forget to wash behind your ears." He shut the door and walked away laughing. "I've always wanted to say that."

Lucario stood in the bathroom. He looked at the window. Too small for him. He jiggled the doorknob. Locked. _And Hunter will probably drag me back up here if I come out._ He got in the shower stall, and remembered what Hunter told him. He turned on the cold water, and immediately gave a surprised bark as the showerhead drenched him in freezing water. He quickly turned the "hot" knob, and the water began to grow warmer. He kept adjusting it until he felt comfortable, then looked around.

Hunter knocked on the door. "Soap is the blue bar!"

Lucario saw a light blue bar and rubbed it. He cocked his head at the suds that resulted, and then began to rub it over his body.

A while later, he came, soaking wet, out of the bathroom.

Hunter's voice floated up the stairs. "Use a towel!"

Lucario stomped back into the bathroom and came out with a towel wrapped around his waist.

As he came down the stairs, Hunter sniffed. "Good. Now you smell nice."

Lucario _could_ smell something floating around his body. He sniffed. It smelled like…Pecha berries?

"The soap is scented, just so you know."

Lucario took the towel off and started drying himself off.

Hunter went back up the stairs. "Come on, Buizel. It's your turn."

Buizel followed Hunter up the stairs. Lucario finished drying off, then followed.

When he entered the bathroom, he saw Buizel in the bathtub. It was already wet, and Hunter was rubbing shampoo into its fur. He took his hands from Buizel and said "Rinse."

Buizel dove underwater and began swimming around playfully, then poked his head up and watched as Hunter washed his hands of the shampoo. Hunter looked back and said "Out."

Buizel jumped out of the bathtub then onto a stool, having to do it twice because the first time it slipped and fell off. Hunter took the last remaining towel, then began drying Buizel with it. After a few minutes he put the towel away, took a brush out of the cabinet, and began combing Buizel's fur.

Lucario cocked his head. _What are you doing_?

"Grooming Buizel. He has to take a bath too."

Buizel gave a relaxed _Bui_ as Hunter finished brushing.

As the three went down the stairs, Lucario looked out of one of the windows. He saw a small, conch shell-like flower sitting on the grass. He tapped Hunter on the shoulder. _Come on. I have something I want to show you._

When the two went outside, Lucario knelt by the flower.

_This is a Time Flower. They're really rare, but I've seen some around the mountain sometimes._

"What do they do?"

_Through the power of Aura, they can show us the past._

He placed a paw over the flower, and it suddenly twisted, causing a blue spore to drift into the air, suddenly bursting open into a large bubble that encased the house, Buizel, Hunter and Lucario.

Hunter watched as a little boy played with a Buizel. Two adults, his parents, looked on and laughed.

Lucario looked at Hunter. Tears were trickling down his face. Lucario took his paw from the Time Flower, and the spore returned to where it had come from.

That night, Hunter sat eating what he had made for his dinner as Lucario watched the news.

_"In the news today scientists are baffled at the strangely sudden epidemic of déjà vu that has plagued the region for months. They are still no closer to finding a cure, a spokesman said, but we are also looking to the victims of this epidemic to find out what the cause may be. In other news a widespread wave of illusions has come over the populace, many claiming that they see themselves doing that they had done days, weeks, months or years ago. While this has helped police forces capture previously unknown criminals, other things such as trees and other natural landscapes have also begun warping."_

_Time, and Space_, Lucario said. _Could Dialga and Palkia be behind this?_

Hunter watched. "It may be possible, because déjà vu isn't a very common thing. And the sudden warping completely points to some disruption of space."

They sat watching TV until late at night. Hunter led Lucario upstairs and pointed to his room. "You'll sleep there."

_Where will you sleep?_

"In my parent's room."

Lucario shrugged and entered Hunter's room, shutting the door as he entered.

Hunter and Buizel went into the master bedroom. Buizel jumped onto the bed as Hunter changed and got into it.

In Hunter's bedroom, Lucario stared around the room. On the nightstand there was a picture of the family. Hunter was laughing, a much more carefree person than the boy he was now. Lucario also looked at a picture of Cameran Palace, a place that, according to Hunter, his parents had once visited on their honeymoon. Lucario felt a connection to that place for some reason, but he could not figure out why.

He shrugged and rolled over. He hadn't bothered to pull the covers over himself, instead sleeping on top of the smooth bedspread. He eventually fell asleep, but his dreams that night were full of screeching tires, screams, and one voice, which he recognized as Hunter's, repeating _"No. No, it can't be true! NO!"_

He slept on, jerking but unable to wake himself from the land of nightmares into which he had wandered.

**So, hope you got a laugh over Lucario's bath. Anyways, it's not going to be this idealic for much longer. Only four more chapters left, and then, the setting up of the sequel. Two of them are going to be pretty short, so I'll put them on together. R and R, please! **


	8. It Begins

As Hunter came down the stairs the next morning, he saw Lucario sleeping on the couch. He cocked his head quizzically, but didn't say anything. Instead, he came down the stairs and shook Lucario a little, waking the Aura Pokémon. _You're up early_.

"Undoubtedly, like you, I had nightmares."

_The same as before?_

Hunter nodded. "What were yours?"

_Screeching tires, screams. Your voice._

"That room carries a lot of memories. That's where I first got the call about my parents."

_Oh._ Lucario got up and went to the door. _I'm going out._

Hunter waved dismissively. Lucario left and went into the forest to find a berry bush.

When Lucario returned, Hunter was in the middle of the living room, meditating. He opened one eye as Lucario opened the door, closing it as he shut it. Lucario smiled, remembering what he used to do when Hunter entered the glade.

Hunter got up after a while and picked up a wallet off of the living room table. "I'm going into the city to buy some things. Make sure to stay hidden if you want to go out."

_I will. Don't worry._

"You sure?"

_Positive. I don't think there are any other Lucarios in the city. Lucarios are rare._

Hunter let his eyes roam before smiling and opening the door. "I don't know… but still, stay hidden."

Lucario nodded and smiled. _I will. _

Hunter walked out the door and shut it before heading into town.

As he walked through the market, he saw a newspaper stand. He stopped when he saw the headline of the most recent addition of the Sinnoh Tribune.

"Strange Anomaly Sighted Near Veilstone."

He bought the paper and ran back home as fast as he could, waiting until he got out of the market to give a boost to his feet using Aura.

When he arrived home, Lucario got up. _You're home early._

"Something's wrong. Here," he said, throwing the paper at Lucario. The Pokémon looked up at him. _I can't read, remember?_

"I'd teach you, but I don't think we have the time."

Hunter and Lucario sat down on the couch, and Hunter started reading.

"Scientists all over Sinnoh are baffled at the sudden appearance of a large, dark portal that has appeared on top of the Spear Pillar ruins on top of Mount Coronet. A similar event, which occurred a few months ago, seems to be repeating itself. Authorities and research teams are already gathering at the sight to ascertain the nature of the portal."

Lucario looked at Hunter. _Could it be Dialga and Palkia?_

"It has to be. If it's not, it would be completely impossible."

Hunter looked at his mentor. "We have to go there. We're the only ones who can stop this."

Lucario looked grave for a moment, but nodded. _Let's go._

They both went to the door. Buizel walked over with them, but Hunter stopped it. "No, Buizel. I don't want you getting caught up in this. Stay here and wait for when we come back."

Buizel sat down with a halfhearted _Bui_ as Hunter and Lucario ran out the door.


	9. Trial

Hunter and Lucario both ran as fast as they could down the road, their feet throwing up dust clouds. Eventually they cut off into the woods, leaping from tree to tree.

After hours of running with only short rests, Hunter and Lucario were finally in sight of Mt. Coronet. Lucario looked at Hunter out of the corner of his eye. _There's a roadblock. What do we do?_

"Well," Hunter said. "We can't go under, through, or around them, but I know one way we can go."

The Officer Jenny in charge of the roadblock spotted the twin dust clouds from Hunter and Lucario. As they got closer, she blew her whistle and shouted at them. "Stop right there! You two can't be near here!"

When they were only feet away from her, they both jumped, clearing half of the barricade in one leap. They both landed on truck and car roofs, jumping to others while ignoring the various protests of press and police.

Officer Jenny stared after them, a look of surprise on her face.

After Lucario and Hunter had cleared the barricade, they began jumping up the face of Mt. Coronet. Going through it would take too long, plus it would tire them out.

Finally, they managed to reach the top of Mt. Coronet. They ran along the ridges, dodging rocks and boulders in their paths. When they were almost to Spear Pillar, they both ducked down behind a rock. Contrasting pink and blue glows shone brightly beyond the rock. All was quiet though. No roars, no sounds of combat.

Lucario looked at Hunter. _What do we do now?_

"I'll look."

He gingerly peeked up behind the rock, looking at the plateau beyond the rock. Dialga and Palkia were standing side by side. Almost as if waiting for something.

Them.

Hunter ducked down behind the rock. He looked at Lucario. "They're waiting for us. They must have sensed us coming."

_Then we have no choice. We have to fight them. But in case we can't stop them, do you remember the technique I taught you?_

Hunter nodded. Learning it had nearly killed him.

"I'll do what the situation demands."

Lucario clasped his paw in Hunter's hand. _If I don't make it through this, promise me one thing._

"What?"

_Promise me that you'll never forget me. That you'll hone your skills even more. That you'll take care of what I have intended to save for you._

"What do you mean? What have you saved for me?"

_Just please! Promise me._

"I promise. With all of my heart."

Lucario smiled. _You have been a good student. There's nothing more I can teach you._

"You'll still be my friend. No matter what."

Lucario nodded. _No matter what._

They both turned, ready to face their foe. Hunter looked at Lucario, smiling and sending a thought to him. _Ready?_

_Ready._

They both charged from their cover, ready to fight.

**Well, there it is. The final battle starting at last. Anyways, told you it couldn't be innocent for long, didn't I? Anyways, only a few chapters left. Ryan Libra and Autumnchronicles, thanks for your reviews. I was really hoping that this would go over well here, and I was right! Thanks.**


	10. Last Goodbye

When they were seen, Dialga and Palkia spread their wings and took to the air, Hyper Beams already charging in their mouths.

Lucario and Hunter loosed a volley of Aura Spheres at both of them, but the attacks were stopped by shields that protected the two ancient Pokémon. Hunter leaped onto a pillar as a Hyper Beam plowed along the ground towards him.

Lucario dove behind a fallen piece of stone to avoid another. He then jumped onto the fallen pillar and fired another Aura Sphere at Dialga, only to have it blocked.

Dialga roared in fury and a large yellow ball charged in the center of its crested forehead.

"Draco Meteor!" Hunter shouted from across the plateau. "Watch out!"

Dialga fired, multiple yellow shots streaming from its forehead. Lucario loosed a volley of Aura Spheres to counter the shots, and large, multicolored explosions lit the air as the two attacks collided.

Hunter turned his attention to Palkia, who was glowing. It raised its arm and then swung it in an uppercut. A large pillar of pink light shot across the ground towards Hunter, Palkia's Spacial Rend attack. He rolled to avoid it, pulled a chunk of pillar from the ground, and threw the chunk at Palkia. The shield came up once more, causing the pillar to shatter on contact with the barrier. A cloud of dust obscured Palkia's vision. It looked around, confused, but then roared in pain as something large, hard, and very heavy slammed into its back. The chunks of pillar sprayed around the plateau, and Palkia swung around as Hunter readied himself to heave another pillar.

The pillar broke as Palkia swatted the stone away with its arm. It launched a Hyper Beam, which Hunter narrowly dodged.

As he ran along the floor, Palkia fired another Hyper Beam at the pillars, breaking them and hoping to crush Hunter under their weight.

Hunter, thinking back to the canyon, shut his eyes and dodged them all, and jumped into the air in front of Palkia. The Pokémon's eyes locked onto him as he fired an Aura Sphere point blank into its face, too close to block with a shield.

A cloud of smoke obscured Palkia's head, but the Pokémon swung around, its tail hitting Hunter and throwing him across the plateau. He slammed into a fallen bit of pillar and heard something crack. _Can't give up. Lucario needs me._

Lucario ran at Dialga, Metal Claws extending from his paws. He jumped into the air and slashed at Dialga's face, his claws glancing off of its crested head. He landed on Dialga's back and fired an Aura Sphere as he back-flipped off, causing Dialga to roar in pain.

Dialga fired another Draco Shot at Lucario, of which he dodged all but the last, which impacted behind him and threw him into a pillar.

Hunter and Lucario looked at one another. Dialga's crest suddenly extended and began to glow, a large, black ball of energy building in its mouth. "Roar of Time…" Hunter whispered.

Dialga fired, and the two ran to either side, but the massive explosion it caused threw them both farther away. Hunter quickly got up and jumped to the top of a pillar, running along them until he jumped, firing Aura Spheres at Dialga, who had not seen him coming and thus had not raised its shield. The deity roared in pain, firing a Hyper Beam at the pest attempting to bring it down. Hunter raised a shield from Aura, but was still flung backwards as the blast hit.

Dialga roared again as a number of Aura Spheres slammed into its chest. It had not seen Lucario, who had been running at Dialga while it was occupied with Hunter. As Dialga looked at Lucario, it was already in the air, landing a hard blow on its head with a Bone Rush.

Palkia swung its arm again, and Spacial Rend burst forward, hitting a pillar beside Lucario causing the shockwave to throw him backwards into the labyrinth of pillars.

Palkia was then crushed by a falling pillar. It didn't stay down for long; simply shrugging off the ancient stone like it was a blanket.

It turned to Hunter, who jumped as it fired another Hyper Beam.

He landed on Palkia's back, holding on with one hand while placing the other on Palkia's hide and firing an Aura Sphere into it.

The light shone for a moment, then a black plume of smoke accompanied a loud explosion as Hunter jumped away. Palkia turned towards Hunter but was knocked over again as Lucario, who had jumped towards it while it was distracted, touched his paw to its face and used Force Palm, blowing the ancient being into a group of pillars. Dust billowed as they all came down on top of Palkia.

Dialga came back swiftly, firing a second Roar of Time while Hunter and Lucario dodged and ran at it again, both charging Aura Spheres, which they fired while running between pillars. The volley distracted Dialga, which allowed Lucario to use Force Palm on it, too.

Dialga fell to the ground and lay there unmoving.

Hunter and Lucario stood there among the wreckage, awed. Both were injured, Hunter's arm badly sprained, almost broken, and one of his shoulders dislocated, along with a twisted knee and a head wound that was bleeding badly.

Lucario could feel at least two broken ribs, along with a fractured wrist.

Hunter looked at Lucario, his vision alternately blurring and focusing. "We…we did it."

Lucario's eyes grew wide. No smile was growing on his face.

Hunter turned around at a blue and pink light approaching him from behind.

Dialga and Palkia had recovered quickly, and had fired attacks, hoping to kill them while they were talking.

Lucario put his paw on Hunter's chest, using Force Palm to fling him out of the blast radius as he took the attack himself.

Hunter slammed into the ground, his scream of "NO!" as well as Lucario's roar of pain drowned out by the sound of the explosion. When the dust cleared, he limped quickly over to the blackened crater where his friend had once been, then turned to Dialga and Palkia, who were recharging.

Hunter felt anger. Searing rage and pain that these two..._abominations of nature_ had seen fit to come into his world and take away the only thing he had left. His teacher. His friend. _Lucario._

Hunter gave a loud scream of pure fury, then opened his eyes, which he had shut while thinking. They had a bright blue glow to them, obscuring the pupils, and he could feel Aura from the landscape all building up inside him, roiling in his body to be let out. He thrust his hands forward, regardless of his injuries. A large, black circle appeared behind Dialga and Palkia, and a howling wind began to suck at them. No matter how they resisted, they were being pulled in quickly.

Hunter gave out one, enormous pulse of his power, pushing Dialga and Palkia into the rent in space.

As soon as they were inside, the power faded and the rent closed, leaving Hunter to fall to the ground.

He didn't wait to see if he could stand. Running on adrenaline, he ran into the crater. He closed his eyes, and could see Lucario's Aura. It was fading rapidly. In the center of the crater, his body lay.

Hunter slid down the slope and ran to his friend, who was, as in Hunter's dream, lying on his side, his body burned and scarred, with one ear flopping over his face and his dreadlocks and tail hanging to one side, limp.

Hunter gently picked his dying friend up. He cradled his torso in his arms, and Lucario opened one eye and looked at him. He tried to smile. _We did it._

Hunter, tears dripping from his eyes, nodded."Yeah. We did it."

Lucario put a paw on Hunter's shoulder. _Together. My friend. _He tried to smile again. _Now I am through._

Hunter shook his head. "No. Don't say that. You'll live. We'll go back to the mountain. Together."

Lucario frowned. _Don't fool yourself. You know…as well as I do…I'm done._

Hunter buried his head in Lucario's chest.

Lucario's paw reached up to Hunter's head, running it through the boy's hair in an almost fatherly way. _You've come a long way since the day I found you. I've…taught you everything I know._

Hunter nodded. "I'm sorry, Lucario. I'm so sorry."

_No. _Lucario said, finally managing a small smile and shaking his head. _It wasn't your fault. _

Hunter took his head from Lucario's chest fur, his eyes staring into Lucario's half-open pupils.

Lucario continued. _You promised…you'd never…forget…me. Right?_

Hunter could only nod now.

_Don't forget…ever. _

Lucario nestled into Hunter's arms, resting his head against his student's chest. He smiled a little. _I'll…miss you…my friend._

With those last words, Lucario's breath left his body. He went limp, the paw on Hunter's shoulder falling limply to dangle. Hunter gently lowered Lucario's body to the ground, then buried his head in his friend's chest fur. He cried until he blacked out from his injuries.

**Whaaaa! Sorry. This might not actually be a tear-jerker, but I hope it is. Anyways, one more chapter after this! Sorry if it's a bit long, I tend to make longer-than-average chapters whenever there's a fight scene. To all of the people that have been reading this, thanks for all of your reviews. I hope my other stories are just as popular.**


	11. Beginning and End

"I've never seen anything like it. In the trip from Spear Pillar to here, almost all of his wounds healed! It's remarkable!"

"It may have had something to do with that Lucario, doctor."

"Quite possibly. Wait. He's waking up."

Hunter's eyes slowly flickered open. "Lucario…" he said. "Where's…Lucario?"

The nurse beside his bed laid a hand on him. "I'm sorry. Your Lucario's been dead for some time now."

"But…where is he?"

"Your friend's in the morgue. But you're not well enough to see him yet."

Hunter sat up, ripping the IV drip out of his arm. It hurt but he didn't care. "Take me to him. Take me there _now_."

The doctor laid a hand on his shoulder. "Easy, son. You've had quite a day. You were nearly dead when we found you."

"Don't care. Take me to Lucario."

The nurse began filling a syringe with a sedative. "Try to relax, sweetheart. We'll put your Lucario to rest."

Hunter flung the needle from the nurse's hand without touching it. He looked at the nurse, his eyes pleading. "Please. I just want to see him one more time. Take me to him. I'm begging you."

The doctor sighed. "I guess there's no changing your mind. According to your chart, you should be strong enough to walk."

Hunter didn't smile at getting what he wanted. _Lucario's dead. Nothing will ever change that._

They eventually arrived at the morgue. The cold of the room seeped through Hunter's pajamas, but he didn't notice.

Lucario was on a stretcher in the center of the room. He looked so peaceful. His paws were folded over his chest. He had been cleaned, and now his fur was clear of burn marks and bruises. _It must have been his Aura. Still working in death,_ Hunter thought.

He walked over to his friend and knelt by the stretcher, clasping Lucario's paw and gently laying his head on his friend's chest. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

_It wasn't your fault,_ a voice said in his mind.

Hunter looked up. "Lucario?"

The Pokémon was standing beside him, glowing slightly and looking down on his student. _Nothing you did could have stopped fate._

"I could have been more alert. We would have stopped them and you'd still be alive!" He stopped for a moment at the realization that the nurse and doctor would probably put him back in bed at the sight of him talking to air. He looked over at them. "Can they hear us?"

_No. I've frozen time to talk to you._

Hunter stood up, letting go of the body's paw and folding it back in place. He turned to Lucario. "I'll miss you."

_Likewise. But,_ he said, as he began to fade, _do you remember the cave in the glade? The one I told you never to enter?_

"Yeah. The one sealed up by rocks?"

_Open it when you leave. Inside that cave…_ Lucario disappeared. _New life begins…_

Hunter watched as Lucario vanished before him, leaving only shining bits of Aura to mark that he had been there. Those too, quickly faded.

The doctor came over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I looked at your head wound while you were out. You should be fine now. We also washed your clothes, so you can leave anytime."

Hunter looked at Lucario's body. "I'm taking him with me. Don't argue."

"I won't."

A few minutes later, Hunter walked out of the hospital, carrying Lucario's limp body in his arms. He started running. They had taken him to the town nearest their mountain, oddly. It was only the work of a moment to jump up the cliffs and run into the glade. It was peaceful. Serene. Untouched.

Hunter walked over to the slab of marble and gently laid Lucario's body on it. He folded the Pokémon's paws over his body, then focused his Aura into a permanent shield, fed by the Aura in the crystals. _Now time can't reach him,_ he thought absently.

He looked over at the cave Lucario had talked about. He placed his hand against it and used an Aura Sphere to blast it open.

It was dark inside the cave. Inside it, sitting on a nest of straw that looked brand new, was an egg.

Hunter could sense all kinds of emotions coming from the egg. Love, grief, care, worry. He picked it up gently, Lucario's words ringing in his head. _New life begins._

He left the glade slowly, pausing to gaze at Lucario's body one last time.

He then jumped down the mountain and rode the train home.

When he entered his house in Veilstone, Buizel let out a joyful cry and ran to him, its tails wagging. Hunter gently placed the egg on the couch, and Buizel noticed that Lucario wasn't along. It looked at its owner, puzzled.

Hunter looked at Buizel, sadness written on his face. "He's gone, Buizel."

Buizel's eyes widened. Hunter sat down and turned on the TV. The news was on.

_"In the news today a famous archeological site, the Spear Pillar, lies in ruins after reports of a fierce battle between what was apparently a human and a rare Pok__émon, Lucario, against the two deity Pok__émon, Dialga and Palkia. Fallen pillars and craters now make the site called a "disaster area" by police officials, and the site will not be open to archeologists again until the entire area has been declared safe."_

Hunter turned the TV off. He looked out the window. The moon was rising, its ever-widening pool of light finally coming to rest on the egg. Hunter kicked off his shoes and was about to fall asleep on the couch when Buizel's surprised cry of _Bui!_ jerked him back to alertness.

He sat up. A loud cracking noise split the air. Hunter looked at the egg, which had started to glow.

The glow grew so intense that both Hunter and Buizel shielded their eyes. When the light faded, they both looked.

Sleeping in the moonlight, tiny and helpless, was a newborn Riolu.

Hunter picked the little one up and cradled it in his arms. It woke up slowly, reaching up to touch Hunter's face as it yawned. Hunter scratched its ears. "Hello, little one. Welcome to the world."

**And there it is! Don't worry, that's not the end. I've got three more stories that are all fired up and ready to go. So anyways, thanks for all the reviews! Hope you liked it.**


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